Ryan Phoenix
"And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee."-
Frederich Nietzche, Beyond Good and EvilNo Theme Song yet, taking suggestions.
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Full Name |
Ryan Patrick Phoenix
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Nickname |
Rye, Nix, sometimes Nick but that one's pretty rare.
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Alias |
The Phantom
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Birth Date |
April 25, 1995
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Age |
31
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Species |
Ghost (Formerly a human before his death)
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Gender |
Male
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Sexuality |
Heterosexual
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Alignment |
Neutral Good
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In-Depth Appearance |
Nothing of note about his physical appearance, though he does appear to possess a scar from the blow that previously ended his life.
For the most part, Ryan sticks to a casual wardrobe, usually just basic jeans or slacks, sneakers, shirt and jacket combinations, and et cetera. In his more "spiritual" form, though, Ryan dons a dark grey suit of sorts that has orange accents. This suit, though mostly form-fitting, does possess some armored bits on the shoulders, hands, and boots, as well as a hood that drapes over his head and partially hides his face, though he is known to pull it back when fighting. The colors of the accents are known to change whenever he's "channeling" a Phantom, and he gains a loose-fitting cloak that matches the color of said Phantom.
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Abilities |
First and foremost, Ryan can't die since he's technically already dead. He can, however, still feel pain so blows taken during a fight can and will injure him even if it won't kill him. He can change between being corporeal and incorporeal at will, becoming invisible and unable to be seen or heard by any living person while incorporeal. Being dead, Ryan doesn't actually need to do things like eat or sleep or even breath, but for some reason finds himself doing so anyway purely out of habit. Lastly, he practices a spirit channeling power that lets him exorcise evil ghosts to effectively "kill" them permanently, as well as channel the power or skills of an allied Phantom, usually in the form of slight alterations to his physical prowess and fighting style on top of adding a unique weapon to the mix. Channeling typically involves forming an empathic connection between himself and the ghost or phantom, and sharing their silent emotions in order to discern their intent or desires. The following are the Phantoms whose power he has earned:
Myself: This isn't really a Phantom so much as it is the "base" for which all his channeling revolves around. Its power comes from his own heart and determination (often taking the form of various fire-based strikes), and can be weakened if he is sufficiently discouraged or frightened. Its color is the above-mentioned dark grey and orange combination.
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Limitations |
While being incorporeal does allow him to move with absolute silence and invisibility to virtually everyone around him, it also prevents Ryan from being able to physically interact with someone (or something) who isn't also a ghost themselves. While he can't be conventionally killed, being dead already, he can still be exorcised no differently than the evil ghosts he fights against, exorcism essentially equating to a form of permanent death for a ghost. The Phantoms give him a versatile set of skills, abilities, and tools but they are also limited in that he can only channel one at a time, and to switch to another requires Ryan to dismiss the current Phantom and then summon the next one, which can take time he may not actually have if in the midst of a fight. Also, he must find a Phantom and earn their approval in order to channel them. While it is technically possible to channel a Phantom against their will, it is immensely difficult and requires a mastery that Ryan simply doesn't possess. Finally, he currently has not found any Phantoms yet, so the only power he can channel presently is his own.
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Equipment |
Ryan wears a blue, tear-shaped pendant that glows greenish whenever he channels. It comes from Asia and has a proper Asian name, but Ryan can never seem to remember what it's actually called. Each Phantom he befriends will also give him possession of a trinket of some form that serves as the physical embodiment of their bond with Ryan, though he has no idea what they are or what they look like since he has yet to find one.
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Personality |
Death has a funny way of changing one's perspective and outlook. Before the incident, Ryan was a man who thought he had everything planned out. He'd gotten a good paying job and it seemed like he was setting himself up for a comfortable life. As such he had a rather content personality, never really wanting for anything and as such never had any real ambitions. After dying, Ryan gained a unique perspective. Not actually being among the living caused him to attain a much greater appreciation, and respect, for human life and even for death as well. Dishonoring the fallen or disrespecting the departed has become major berserk buttons for him, such actions and attitudes even leading to angry bursts of adrenaline against enemy ghosts in battle. Ryan has gained a sort of empathy for others as well, probably due to his exposure to the nature of channeling.
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Quirks |
Drinks and smokes despite being completely unaffected by those things due to being dead.
Refuses to let an innocent person die even if such would benefit his own quest.
Will save even a bad person's life if it prevents them from suffering the same fate of death as he himself had.
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Hobbies |
Since learning that Phantoms are essentially the ghosts of especially strong or iconic people, Ryan has made quite the hobby out of reading everything he can find about history. While at first it was only out of interest in identifying potential Phantoms, it has since become a passionate hobby for him as well.
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Likes |
Reading, music, art, cooking (ironically), movies, and comic books/graphic novels.
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Dislikes |
Being disrespectful to the dead, quitters, people using weaker people to their own ends,
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Fears |
Losing people,
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Place Of Origin |
Where was your character born?
Where do they live now, before they were summoned?
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Family |
List their mother, father, siblings, if they have any. Feel free to add other relatives too. Did they have any powers as well?
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History |
Ryan's story, while it does exist prior death, it was death where it truly began. On a day that otherwise would have been any other day, Ryan was walking from his place of work to go eat lunch, when he glimpsed something that should have been impossible. A sword-wielding entity cloaked in darkness was raising its blade to strike down a woman and her child, but nobody seemed to be reacting. The thing may as well have been invisible! With an instinct he didn't think he had, Ryan rushed over to the creature and pushed its intended victims away before the blade could find its mark. This startled the woman, who took her child's hand and ran away as fast as possible, likely assuming Ryan to be her attacker. The creature, whatever it was, set its sight on Ryan instead. While he tried to fight, Ryan was just an ordinary human with no special training, so he of course wasn't able to do much of anything. And so, the creature's sword cut through his body and Ryan felt the cold embrace of death begin to cover him.
Rather than die, or at least dying in the normal manner, Ryan awoke in a forest meadow, a peaceful pond nearby. Unsure where he was or if he was even alive, Ryan looked around only to be startled by a figure who seemed to appear from thin air. They looked like a kindly old gentleman in fishing attire, even casting a line into the pond. When Ryan asked who the old man was, they simply smiled and shook their head. His identity wasn't important, he'd said, but Ryan could call him Sage if he wished. Sage informed Ryan that he had just died, and that an eternal allotment was supposed to be waiting for him, and in fact he was meant to take him there. Perplexed, Ryan sarcastically wondered if the old man was the Grim Reaper or something. Sage chuckled, saying that he was indeed a Grim Reaper and that he took this form feeling that it would be easier for Ryan to accept the facts. Sage briefly transformed into a cloaked specter with a scythe, then jokingly remarked that he
could use this form if that was what Ryan preferred, only to transform back into an old man and laugh heartily.
Sage explained that while Ryan was indeed dead, it didn't necessarily have to be for good. He said that because Ryan died heroically, he would be given a rare opportunity to earn a second chance, to return to being alive. All he had to do, was gather the power of ten Phantoms. It sounded easy enough, and Ryan hastily agreed. Sage warned him not to be too hasty in the future, and conjured a strange pendent around Ryan's neck. Then, he gently tapped a fingertip to Ryan's forehead and in a flash of light Ryan found himself back in the city, where he previously died.
At first thinking it might have been a weird dream, Ryan was horrified to find the pendent still around his neck and scar across his chest where the creature's sword had ended his life. It was no dream, and Ryan was now just a ghost wandering among the living. Completely confused, Ryan demanded more answers from Sage, but instead was greeted by a cheery orb of light. The little light had a pitched voice, but was supposedly neither a male nor female. They said their name was Blink, or at least that was what Ryan could call them anyway. Blink gave a further explanation of Ryan's situation.
He was indeed a Ghost, but ghosts commonly came in three kinds: Ghosts, Phantoms, and Geists. Ghosts were simply people who died but had yet to enter the afterlife, sometimes because something was causing them to linger or, as in Ryan's case, they were also taking the quest to revive themselves. Geists were evil spirits, usually Ghosts that lingered for too long, losing their sanity and becoming monsters as a result. The thing that killed Ryan was likely a Geist. Phantoms were Ghosts that also lingered for a long time, but rather than become Geists, the strength of their heart allowed them to retain their sanity and instead they would be able to test a Ghost to determine if they were worthy of channeling their power as their own. Ryan's test was to find and gather ten Phantoms in order to have enough power to revive himself, but apparently there was a catch that Sage conveniently forgot to mention. The test is only valid for one year, after which the Ghost's death become permanent and they either cross over, become a Geist or (if they're very strong or lucky) become a Phantom. Also, other Ghosts and even the Geists were also after the Phantoms' power. Ghosts like Ryan usually needed them for revival, while Geists sought to corrupt the Phantoms, transforming them into Geists in order to bring more Geists to the world of the living for unknown reasons.
As for Blink, they were assigned to Ryan to act as a guide of sorts and give Ryan the proper explanations needed to complete the test. Blink could apparently also sense the presence of Phantoms and Geists, and so they would be invaluable for finding them. Blink explained Ryan's new powers to him, how keep himself corporeal so he could interact with the world, but that only Ryan or other Ghosts could see Blink, unless they somehow had a strong connection to the spirit world, otherwise they could potentially sense Blink's presence but still be unable to actually see them. It was a lot harder and more complicated than Ryan first imagined it being, but he'd already accepted the deal so there was nothing to do now but see it through.
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Extra |
The character sheet distinguishes ghosts into the aforementioned three categories: Ghosts, Geists, and Phantoms. As a note for the GM, feel free to use those in order generate enemies and/or NPC's specifically for Ryan to deal with should you feel so inclined.
Face Claim: Blake Foster
